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Dominion, Santee Cooper urges customers to stay home during Lowcountry blizzard

Dominion, Santee Cooper urges customers to stay home during Lowcountry blizzard

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – As people wake up to freezing temperatures and snow Wednesday morning, representatives with energy companies are warning people to stay off the roads.

Car accidents, ice and wind can all cause power outages, but Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper officials both say their crews are prepared and ready to respond to any emergency that may arise from this wintry weather.

Santee Cooper has hired an additional 12 contract crews for distribution lines and 10 contract tree crews on top of their in-house crews.

Santee Cooper officials are encouraging customers to keep their heat at 68 degrees or lower and use natural light from open window shades to help reduce the risk of overworking heat pumps.

Dominion Energy spokesman Paul Fischer says they have crews staged throughout the state, with a particular focus on the areas expected to see the greatest impact.

Fischer says customer safety is a top priority.

“So we encourage customers to stay home if they can, if they must drive, drive safely as we see the potential for power outages, from vehicle crashes coming into contact with both power, poles and transformers along the roadways.” says Fischer.

The best way for Dominion Energy customers to report outages is through the Dominion Energy app, and Santee Cooper customers can report outages online Santee Cooper storm center.